1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an automatically-controlled cooking apparatus and, more particularly, to a cooking apparatus in which a dehydrated food material is automatically measured out, rehydrated, and formed into desired shapes that are then cooked and dispensed in a serving portion.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many restaurants, particularly those that stress fast food service, require quickly prepared hot food products, often in single-serving portions. In addition, quickly prepared hot food products have become quite popular in a variety of other establishments, such as grocery stores, markets, cafeterias, small businesses, and combination gasoline stations/markets. A variety of devices have been produced to meet the demand for hot food products in these locations. Often, such devices consist of cooked food dispensing machines that utilize a dehydrated food product that is rehydrated, cooked, and then dispensed under automatic control.
Conventional cooked food dispensing machines can suffer from slow cooking time or from an inadequate delivery speed for the cooked food product. This is detrimental because quick preparation of the hot food generally is of paramount importance. Conventional machines can also produce food products of inconsistent quality, frequently because the quantity of dehydrated food material measured out is not carefully controlled or because the rehydration process does not provide a rehydrated mass of uniform consistency. If the quantity of material is not carefully controlled, food pieces of varying sizes and shapes can result, which is undesirable, and which can lead to undercooking or overcooking. If the rehydrated food mass does not have uniform consistency, the cooked product can be lumpy, having pockets of dry food material and pockets of watery material. Another problem is that the finished food products can be of an inconsistent size and shape from serving portion to serving portion, and even within a single serving. Some devices do not provide consistent operation, and can be unreliable and difficult to clean and maintain.
Conventional cooked food dispensing machines can also suffer from various health and safety concerns. For example, health concerns can be raised because the machine can create objectionable cooking odors in its vicinity, and extraneous bits of both cooked and uncooked food product material can accumulate at locations within the machine, creating an environment for the growth of bacteria and pests that could quickly violate applicable health regulations. Safety concerns are raised because some devices can require handling of hot cooking surfaces or materials, or include sharp cutting blades or other dangerous elements that must be handled or cleaned.
Finally, some devices do not provide efficient operation. Such devices might be provided with relatively small supply reservoirs for the dehydrated, raw food material, for the cooking oil, or for the rehydrating liquid. This requires operating personnel to frequently replenish such supplies, taking such persons from other duties and taking the device out of operation during the servicing. Additionally, maintaining the machine in service also requires the utmost in reliability. Lastly, some machines can consume relatively large amounts of rehydrating liquid, cooking oil, or electrical energy, requiring even more frequent replenishing or increasing the operating costs.
From the discussion above, it should be apparent that there is a need for an apparatus that provides quickly prepared hot food products having a uniform size and shape, in convenient serving portions with efficient, reliable operation and without creating objectionable odors, while meeting applicable health and safety regulations. The present invention satisfies this need.